Aitor Karanka was often referred to by some inside Rockliffe as the 'cat with nine lives'.

That was because of the Spaniard's ability to pull out a big result at a time of great need, shake off his critics with a headline-grabbing show of resilience.

But Garry Monk can't have many lives left after Boro's latest no-show on Saturday.

The Boro boss is feeling the heat; he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders as he dissected his side's flaccid display during his post-match press conference.

Three words were repeated time after time in each interview he conducted after the game. 'Unacceptable', 'responsibility' and 'apologise'.

He said them 14 times in just four minutes. For the first time this season, Monk - in public at least - seethed and pointed the finger at his players.

It's been long overdue. Supporters are so often the best judge - and there was no way of dressing up that performance with half-hearted positives. It was weak, feeble, unacceptable.

The time to talk about the 'project' has long gone. The season is no longer in its infancy. It's virtually half-way through. How long can we afford to wait for that 'click', a spark to reignite Boro's season?

With the talented squad at Boro's disposal, assembled at an eyewatering cost of £40m+, we all expected it to happen before now.

But 20 games in, the question has to be asked: Will this Boro side ever click, or is this actually as good as they are?

Fans pray that's not the case. The chairman - who backed up his pre-season pledge and backed his manager to the hilt to avoid any second-tier banana skins - will demand that's not the case.

And if Monk has any long-term aspirations on Teesside, he'll need to prove that's not the case.

After Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Bristol City he spoke of the "quality" in the Boro dressing room which he hopes will eventually shine through.

Time, however, is not something that the Boro boss has now. His job may not be under any immediate threat from above, but the fans - a sizeable section - are starting to turn.

In fact, some have already made up their minds - and you can hardly blame them. They've seen precious little to suggest Boro aren't sleep-walking towards mediocrity.

Garry Monk (Image: Avril husband / Griffiths Photographers)

It was strangely refreshing to hear Monk put blame at the players' door after the game. He fronted up and accepted Boro's shortcomings - that has to be a start.

The first step on the road to recovery is accepting there's a problem. Finally, we got that.

In the past Monk has tried to shield his underperforming squad from any criticism, insist there have been 'positives to take' and attempt to convince the Teesside faithful that Boro are on the right path.

But there's only a certain amount of spin that fans can take. You can't pull the wool over their eyes. They can see what's happening.

They pay their money, they travel thousands of miles up and down the country to watch this side play week-in, week-out.

They know this Boro side are weak, vulnerable - and at the moment, they're going nowhere fast.

There are plenty of 'P' words that you can associate with Boro, but promotion certainly is not one of them at present. Punch-drunk, maybe. Puzzled, clearly.

14 points separate Boro and their end-of-season objective. If that is now out of reach, as some fear, then six points is the gap needed to be bridged to return into the play-off pack.

It's not an impossible task. Back in 2014/15 Norwich found themselves down in 11th position after 19 matches. A stunning second half to the season saw them defy the odds and clinch promotion at Wembley.

Blackpool did the same in 2009/10 after winning six of their final eight games.

But such tales will do little to lift the mood on Teesside. This Boro side can only be viewed by what we've seen so far - and that's nowhere near good enough.

Boro are closer to the relegation zone than the top two. It's no wonder fans are growing exasperated, disillusioned, angry.

This has to be the low point in the season. Boro have to come roaring back, re-engage the supporters with a committed side playing in their image.